Intensification of diclofenac removal through supported liquid membrane and ozonation

Pharmaceutical contaminants are frequently encountered at trace concentrations in various environmental ecosystems. This study introduces a significant approach to water treatment and environmental remediation by combining liquid membrane and ozonation. Initially, diclofenac is transported across the supported liquid membrane using a neutral organic extractant Cyanex 923. The highest removal efficiency was achieved with a 40 % concentration of Cyanex923 dissolved in kerosene, resulting in a permeability of 10.2 cm/h. Additionally, diclofenac is extracted from different environmental matrices such as tap water and real effluent of wastewater, and the effect of ions species was studied. The post-ozonation in the stripping phase resulted in removal of pharmaceuticals and 72 % reduction of total organic carbon at pH = 10 and 45.3 g/Nm3 initial ozone concentration. The study also investigates the identification and tracking of the most prevalent by-product of diclofenac over time.
This project has been supported by the grant PID2021-126895OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. The authors research group is recognized by the Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca, DIUE de la Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR 396), and supported by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (2021PFR-URV-87) and Marti Franques grant 2019PMF-PIPF-81.
Peer Reviewed
Postprint (published version)